Communication devices (e.g., computers, mobile phones, electronic tablets, etc.) can be used to perceive (e.g., view, listen to) content, such as video or audio content. The video or audio content can be obtained from, for example, a communication device itself, or from another communication device connected via a communication network to the communication device. Communication devices that can be used to present content can include, for example, a computer, a mobile phone, a television, an Internet protocol (IP) television (IPTV), a set-top box, a content-streaming device, an electronic tablet, an electronic pad, an electronic notebook, an electronic reader, an electronic gaming device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or another type of electronic device comprising information communication functionality.
For a variety of reasons (e.g., broadcast monitoring, advertising, content rights management, interactive applications, etc.), it can be useful for an entity (e.g., content provider, etc.) to identify respective content that is being presented to different users on different communication devices. Content fingerprinting (e.g., digital video or audio content fingerprinting) can be used to facilitate identifying content that is being presented to users on their communication devices. A content fingerprint can be generated by identifying and extracting characteristic components of the content, and processing (e.g., compressing) the characteristic components of the content to form the content fingerprint. A content fingerprint for an unidentified piece of content (e.g., presented on a communication device of a user) can be compared to a reference content fingerprint that is associated with a known piece of content, wherein there can be known information (e.g., name of movie, name of song, name of artist, etc.) regarding the content associated with the reference content fingerprint. If the content fingerprint matches the reference content fingerprint, the unidentified piece of content can be identified based on the known information associated with the reference content fingerprint.